


Christmas Crackers

by Broken_Clover



Category: BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Christmas Cookies, Gift Fic, Ice Skating, Kissing, Multi, Short One Shot, Snakes, Snowman, Winter, there's a lot of kissing in here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21967096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover
Summary: A collection of ficlets made for friends!
Relationships: Arakune | Lotte "Roy" Carmine/Litchi Faye-Ling, Baiken/Mito Anji, Daryl/Venom (Guilty Gear), Kagura Mutsuki/Ragna the Bloodedge, Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32





	1. Nana- Daryl/Venom

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MamaNana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaNana/gifts), [diluculum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/diluculum/gifts), [rex101111](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rex101111/gifts), [roylitchi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roylitchi/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venom ponders Christmas cookies

“I’m just not entirely sure on why sugar cookies are considered customary for the holiday.”

“It’s…” Daryl unexpectedly found himself stumped. He paused to brush the flour off of his hands and reached for the rolling pin. “You know what? Now that you mention it…”

“Is there some sort of significance in this kind of cookie? Is there any real meaning to it?” Despite his confusion, Venom still picked up his cookie-cutter and punched another snowman shape into his sheet of batter.

“I really couldn’t tell you. I know gingerbread has some kind of religious history to it, but I guess sugar cookies are just fun to make? Or it’s easy enough that a lot of people can make it without much trouble?”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Now that I think about it, lots of cultures seem to have some kind of cookie for Christmas. The Greeks have melomakarono, The Swiss have tirggel, Mexicans have reposteria, the French make bredala...oh!” Daryl cut himself off. “Leo brought in some Springerle that his mother made, want me to bring some over for you?”

“Springerle? I don’t think I’ve had that before.”

“It’s very tasty. I’m sure you’d love it!”

Even on a Sunday, Bishop Bakery was alive and busy. Venom preferred to keep himself busy and to keep the shelves stocked, but he also had the added concern of it being the weekend before Christmas. For as much as he underestimated himself, it seemed like a smart decision to bake plenty more cookies than he usually did in preparation. It certainly had a much homier feel to it with Daryl there helping him out, Venom wasn’t used to chatting while working unless Robo was complaining to him about something.

“HUMAN! WHERE DID YOU LEAVE THE TAPE DISPENSER?”

Speak of the devil. Venom turned to see the mechanical head whir into the kitchen, hair dusted with what was undeniably glitter.

Daryl managed to speak up before Venom could. “I think I saw it on the coffee table, did you check there?”

“OF COURSE I-” He abruptly cut off, spinning around and rocketing off back up the stairs. A few moments later, a slightly muffled “FOUND IT THANKS” came down from the loft.

“Hell of a roommate.” The king snickered, sliding a few doughy trees onto a baking sheet. “At least he’s learned how to say ‘thank you.’”

“He can be a bit of a nuisance still, but we’ve found ways to compromise.”

They went back to baking. Daryl finished a sheet and pushed it into the oven. “So what do you think he needs tape for, anyway?”

“He bought me a present.” Replied Venom. “He’s trying to surprise me, but he isn’t at all subtle.”

Something thumped on the floor, followed by a muffled curse. “You aren’t going to say anything to him?”

The baker shrugged. “Why ruin his fun?”

Daryl reached over to playfully pinch him on the cheek. “Mon chou, you really can be a softie.” For a moment, his expression crinkled. “You’re blushing, is something wrong?”

“Am I? I didn’t realize…” Venom brought a hand to his cheek, wearing a cute little smile that made Daryl’s heart melt. “I guess it’s just a new thing for me. This is my first real Christmas since I got the bakery up and running.”

“I guess that would make sense.”

“And I’ve never gotten a Christmas present before, either.”

“...oh.” 

Daryl was content to leave it at that, as the two of them went back to cutting and baking cookies. But internally, he was crafting a long, long list of presents he was going to have to buy. He _certainly_ wasn’t going to be beaten out by some robot, especially not on Venom’s first Christmas. He wondered how much he’d be able to get away with until Ky and Leo noticed...


	2. Roy- Roy/Litchi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy and Litchi set out to watch a meteor shower

“Everything all set, Roy?”

The scientist held up two tumblers of cocoa with a cheeky grin. “All ready to go!”

Roy Carmine wasn’t the most athletic type. He preferred spending time indoors, tinkering away with whatever caught his fancy. Tonight, though, he felt lighter-than-air, and running out of the clinic and down the cresting snowy hill it sat on was easy even for him.

Litchi bounded alongside him, giggling with joy. She had a pair of thick wool blankets tucked under one arm, and a folded-up telescope in another. The sky overhead was gorgeous, cloudless to show off a massive array of stars. The further away they ran from the bright lights of the buildings, the more prominent the stars became.

“Is this the spot, Litchi?” As they reached the top of a hill, they slowed. Litchi looked around, eventually nodding with confidence.

“Yes, this is the one. It should be the clearest spot for watching the meteor shower!”

They tossed out the blankets and unfolded the telescope. It didn’t take long for long, shimmering streaks to begin filling the sky. Litchi adjusted her telescope to get a better look.

“They look spectacular through the telescope, would you like to take a look, Roy?”

“Sure! Cocoa?”

“Thank you.” She sat down on one of the wool blankets, grateful for the protection it offered against the snowy ground. She watched Roy crane his neck to see into the telescope, at one point almost tipping over from how he oriented himself.

Her laughter managed to get his attention. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing.” She replied. “I’m just happy you’re here.”

She wasn’t anticipating the severity of the blush on his face. Litchi got up to help him stay steady. “Oh, dear, I didn’t mean for that to happen…”

“It’s fine, I’m fine.” Roy squeaked out. “A-at this rate, we’re going to miss the shower!”

“You’re right, you’re right.” Litchi kissed him on the temple. “But you’re the only star I need.”

_”AAAAAAAAA-”_


	3. Ragna- Kagura/Ragna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vampire!AU. Ragna, injured and trapped in bat form, isn't too picky about his rescuers

Ragna cowered under the sparse protection of the underbrush, feeling another cold breeze ruffle the fur of his back and seep into his bones. He didn’t dare shiver. Everything already hurt too much when he was lying still.

His right wing was twisted and crushed at his side. Currently, it was the only thing keeping him from switching forms. It would have made it easier to stand up, and an injured human lying out in the open was more likely to attract attention than a goddamn flying rodent that was barely four inches long. But transforming took a level of energy that he no longer had, and simply imagining the shards of bone warping and twisting and tearing into the flesh of his arm as he shifted onto something bigger made him nauseous. 

The feeling of something shaking the ground made him flinch harder. Everything seemed so much more intimidating when he was so small. The snake that had bitten him must have only been a foot or two at best, but to Ragna, it had seemed nightmarishly colossal, to the point that his own shoddy flying job in trying to run away from it had mangled his wing.

Another vibration struck, feeling closer than the last. What the hell was going on? 

“Shit, Hibiki’s gonna chew me out for this…”

A human? Ragna sniffed the air intently. Why would they be out so late at night? He pushed a few leaves out of the way, briefly panicking when a steel-toed boot crushed the grass only a few feet away from him. The figure took a few more steps, stopped, and shifted his feet uncomfortably. 

“Shouldn’t’ve stayed out so late...shit, which way is it back…?”

Ah. They were lost. That explained it. Maybe he could try and call on them for help? Then again, he was tiny, and he had no idea what their opinions on bats were. Maybe they’d just scream and stomp his skull in.

Well, it was the best hope he had. Ragna dragged himself away from his protective foliage, squeaking and clicking loudly.

“What the fu-!?”

He curled back up, accidentally tugging on his injured wing again.That squeezed another shriek out of him, and for as booming as it sounded in his ears, he had no idea how quiet it had to have been for someone larger.

“The hell kind of...huh?”

Ragna tilted his head back, and found himself looking up at a stranger with a sharp face framed by dark hair. They were pretty, at least, so it would have made up for nearly stepping on him at first. He couldn’t say for certain if he looked disgusted at the sight of him, or just surprised.

He couldn’t think for too much longer. When the man scooped him up, the feeling of vertigo along with another jolt from his injured wing made him pass out.

++++++

“Bats are remarkably hardy, sir.” Hibiki shook his head. “It shouldn’t need any medical intervention, just some time to heal.”

Ragna blinked groggily, attempting to dispel the thick fog of unconsciousness and tone down the slight dizziness. By the time he realized that people were talking, he also realized that he had been laid out on a soft towel, a much better alternative to the cold grass.

He spotted the man from earlier sitting nearby- was Ragna on his desk?- along with a new person, shorter and skinnier but with a much more severe face.

“Oh, man, that’s good.” The first man sighed in relief, sinking into his seat. “Was worried when it fainted on me, though I’d broken its neck or something.”

“From what I’ve seen, Lord Kagura, it’s just the wing. The bat should be fine on its own, but it would probably be best if you gave it something to eat. Then it can restore its energy and heal faster.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Uh…” Kagura looked between Hibiki and the animal. “What do bats eat?”

The shorter man was carrying some kind of book. He set it down, and Ragna didn’t realize that the man’s hands were reaching out towards him until he was firmly in his grip. He gave an irate squeak, the closest thing to a profanity that he could manage in his current form. Even that was undermined, as a set of fingers took the opportunity to hold his jaw open and tilt his head just so.

“There’s a mix of teeth, there’s definitely incisors in the front, and I think I see molars further back.”

“Which means?” 

Ragna tried to snap down on the fingers in his mouth, only to find that his lack of energy was no match for the man’s thick gloves.

“I didn’t see anything like that in the book.” Hibiki pulled his fingers out of the animal’s mouth, snagging against its sharp teeth. “I can have the staff retrieve some fruit, I believe that should be sufficient.”

“Ooh, then we can split it! I love me some watermelon, and I know we’ve got some of the good stuff.”

“As you wish, sir.”

It took Ragna a few moments to settle back down into a comfortable position. Despite his intention to be grumpy from all the pulling and poking, his ears perked up. It was less ideal than blood, but he did very much have a soft spot for watermelon. At least this Kagura guy had good taste.

“It’s just a little confusing to me.” Hibiki picked up his book again, and Ragna realized that it was an encyclopedia of bats. “There’s no species listed in here that even come close. None of the bats local to the area are at all similar. It can’t be a flying fox, it’s much too small, but I can’t find any others that have fur that red. And I thought there was some sort of eye damage at first, but it appears to genuinely be heterochromatic.”

“Guess I must’ve found a weird one.” Kagura gave the animal a look-over. “Hey, bats need body warmth, right? I think I read that somewhere.”

Hibiki gave a weary sigh. “Sir, that’s for sugar gl-”

Before he could finish his sentence, Kagura had scooped up the animal and held it close to his chest.

“Lord Kagura!” The man’s tone was a mix of indignation and slight panic. “Be careful, it might bite you!”

Ragna wanted to oblige, but three things stopped him. First, the fact that he barely had enough energy to stay conscious. Second, in his reckless handling, Kagura had managed to properly pin him down, so the best he would have been able to do was twist his head. Thirdly, the warmth radiating off of his body was so cozy and inviting that any of his objections melted away instantly, in favor of laying down comfortably.

“See, it’s fine!” Kagura grinned. “I think it likes me!”

“You’re impossible...” Hibiki rubbed his temples, swiftly turning and leaving. “I suppose I should go get that fruit…”

“Yeah, you’re just a little ball of fluff, aren’t ya? Look at you.” Smiling fondly, Kagura began gently stroking down Ragna’s back with a finger, trying to be careful and not push down too hard. He must have been doing well, based on the mellow chirp it got him. “Absolutely terrifying. Hibiki was right. You might give me a heart attack from how small and fluffy you are.”

Hibiki was back with a tray of fruit not five minutes later, and Kagura wolfed down a few pieces before carefully offering a cube of melon to his new little friend. Ragna was content to curl up on the man’s chest, being fed chunks of fruit and getting petted. The thought occurred to him that he was basically being spoiled like a housepet, but he had no intention to object. Of course it wasn’t going to last, but for the time being, he was happy to enjoy the moment.


	4. Rev- Hazama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain finds himself distracted by a tiny friend.

“Such a peculiar creature…”

Hazama watched the animal twine around his fingers, flicking its tongue in the air curiously. It was difficult to truly transfix the man when it came to most things, but he’d been staring at the snake in his hands with rapt attention for the last half hour, and didn’t seem to be in any rush to stop.

“How curious…” The scales were cool against his skin. Hazama had seen snakes before, at least in pictures- massive, winding things with crushing coils and venom-loaded fangs. The one in his hands seemed the complete opposite, hardly a foot long and ineffective at any form of real combat. He’d managed to anger it only once, when he’d first pulled it out of the box that some bleeding-heart goody-two-shoes intern had probably stuffed it in to spare it from some sort of grisly end outside, and the bite it delivered to his thumb barely even stung.

“Hardly more than a worm.” Hazama twisted his hand around, and watched the snake poke its head between his fingers. “But I suppose I see the charm.”

“Captain Hazama?” He swiveled his head to see an uncomfortable-looking messenger who was too nervous to even look at him directly. “Um, the Imperator says she wants to talk to you?”

“Well, does she or doesn’t she?”

He recoiled in confusion. “Huh?”

“You sounded so unsure of yourself.” Turning all the way around, Hazama let the man get a very good look at his glimmering, slitted eyes. “Was it a question? I know the folks running around the NOL like to mince their words, but I’d like to think you could at least put in some effort. Did she say what she needed me for?”

“U-um, no-”

“Then why are you even here?” He shooed him off with one hand. “Go on, then. If you haven’t got anything more than that, then there’s no point in you being here. How am I expected to follow along if you can’t tell me anything more than ‘she wants to speak to me?’”

“But Captain-”

“Up-pup-pup, scurry along, now.”

The messenger looked equally uneasy about being forced out and eager to escape Hazama. “Yes, sir.”

“Honestly, can you believe that?” As soon as the door slammed shut, he returned his attention to the snake, which was still contentedly looping around his hand. “Nobody here appreciates me. Wasn’t that just the most pathetic thing you’ve ever seen? He’s not getting a bonus, that’s for sure.”

Of course, the snake seemed to have no idea what the heck Hazama was talking about. He let it coil up in his palm.

“You know what? I think I like you. You know how to be quiet and listen.” He pet its head with a finger. “You appreciate me, don’t you?”

Without thinking, he leaned in close. The snake looked at him before uncurling just slightly, reaching up to flick its tongue against his nose.

“Aha! That tickles!”


	5. Lulu- Chipp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chipp builds a snowman in July

It wasn’t especially common for snow to fall around the Eastern Chipp Kingdom, but Answer had seen it fall a few times growing up, enough that he wasn’t completely floored and befuddled at the sight of it. If he remembered correctly, snow was a lot more common in A Country, so it puzzled him why he could give it an affirmative nod and get back to work, while Chipp had been staring through the tent’s open door like he’d never seen it in his life.

“Everything alright, boss?” He’d asked.

“Why’s it snowing out?” Chipp asked back.

“Well, it is winter. Snow’s a little rare around here, but-”

The ninja shook his head. “It’s not winter. It’s July.”

“It’s winter here.” Answer replied. “We’re below the equator, remember?”

“Oh…” And back he went to that mystified staring.

The snow hadn’t fallen for long, only an hour or so at best. Answer had been content to keep busy with his tasks, but found a slight problem when he went to go find Chipp for a signature.

“Boss?” He called, quirking an eyebrow. There was no sign of the man at his desk, could he have gone back to his personal tent for something?

As soon as he pushed the door open, though, he found the person he was looking for.

“Boss, what on earth are you doing?”

“President!” Chipp cheerily corrected him. “I’m making a snowman!”

“I...I see…”

There wasn’t much snow on the ground in the first place, but his dogged determination was at least charming. Clumps of dirt and mud stuck to the sparse snow as Chipp eagerly rolled it up. His boots and pants were already wet and stained with mud, but he continued to roll the ball over itself and pic up as much snow as he could.

He went back inside. He supposed he could work on other tasks until Chipp was done. When he decided that he really needed him, Answer could go out and fetch him.

As it turned out, he didn’t end up needing to. Fifteen minutes later, Chipp poked his head inside the tent, beckoning enthusiastically.

“Come on! I finished the snowman, I want to show it to you!”

It sounded amusing. Answer obliged. He wondered what sort of art that his boss was capable of making

The ninja grinned. “So? What do you think?”

It was a rather shoddy thing, only a few feet tall. The mud and grass stained it in ugly patches of brown and green. The entire thing was lopsided, looking as though it would toppled over at any moment. The whole disaster was only vaguely disguised by the red scarf that Chipp had tossed around it, and the reading glasses that had been pushed into its lumpy face.

Answer looked his boss right in the eyes. “I love it.”


	6. Fez- Faust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It looks like another quiet holiday for the good doctor

“Take care of yourself, now! Happy Holidays!”

As soon as the door slammed, Faust sank in his desk chair, blowing out a long sigh. Even for a job he loved, he could still get worn out. At least when it was over, he could relax. And boy did he need relaxing today. He knew that winter break was a good time to schedule appointments, but that meant he had about twice as many patients as he did on a usual work day.

Tonight seemed like a good night for a hot drink and a good book. It was still snowing outside, not enough to be a serious danger but more than enough to make traveling a nuisance. He’d gotten more than a few complaints about that from patients. Though fortunately for him, his bed was above the office. As soon as he wrapped everything up, he could tuck in for the night.

Sweeping and filing and taking stock of the medicine cabinets was simple and straightforward enough. He did it every day, so at least he knew what he was doing, even if the task was dull. Besides, a clean office was an absolute necessity. What kind of so-called doctor would he be if he treated all his patients in dirty conditions? The very thought!

A knock on the door interrupted him halfway through dusting. Faust felt a little groan of dismay in the back of his mind. He’d really been hoping that he could avoid any emergency calls and get to bed at a reasonable hour. But he wasn’t going to turn someone away at the door, so he might as well just handle it as quickly and efficiently as possible and send them on their way.

“Hello, welcome.” He said as the front door swung open. “How can I help you...tonight?”

Despite his expectations, none of the people standing on his porch were cradling broken limbs or sporting bloody wounds. In fact, they all looked quite cheerful. Faust struggled to process it, eventually recognizing a familiar face leading the group.

“Zappa?”

“Evening, doctor!” The man gave a polite wave, carrying a foil-covered tray in the crook of his other arm. “Um, sorry for showing up out of nowhere, I hope this isn’t a bad time?”

“No, no, it’s just me here, I…” It was hard to articulate anything. “What brings you here?”

“Well, we were trying to plan out the investigation team’s holiday party, and we thought since you helped out with the whole ‘Universal Will’ fiasco, you deserved a celebration too! So we brought the whole team, and plenty of food to share!”

He only vaguely recognized some of the faces- seen in passing glances, probably, but Faust did realize that the majority of them wore the same dark brown uniform under their winter coats. The thought suddenly occurred to him that it was currently below freezing.

“Come in, come in!” He hurriedly beckoned the small group, who seemed all too happy to get out of the snow. As they did, he could smell various aromas coming off of the plates and trays and bowls that they carried. Even without seeing what anything was, Faust was already hungry. 

Maybe tonight wouldn't be so dull, after all...


	7. Theo- Sonadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonic, Tails, and Shadow go out for a day of ice-skating

“Got the skates, Sonic!”

“Awesome, thanks, buddy!” The hedgehog offered a high five. “Ready to head out, Tails?”

“Uh-huh! Any word from Shadow?”

“He said he was here...ah!” Scanning the small crowd, he picked out a fluff of red-and-black fur. “There he is! Shadow!”

The fluff perked up, pushing through the chatting people to make it over to his friends. “Ah. So you are here.”

“Yep! Good to see you, man!” Sonic leaned in to press a quick kiss to Shadow’s nose, sending a line of bright emerald across his cheeks. “You ready to skate?”

“I- yes, of course.” He briefly stuttered, trying to regain his composure. Even with that, though, there was a sense of uncertainty in his eyes. 

“What’s up? You okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“C’mon, Sonic!” Tails reached up to tug on his arm. “Let’s go get on the ice!”

A few minutes and several ties later, and they headed off across the snow and onto the edges of the frozen lake. Tails seemed a little uneasy at keeping himself on his feet, but took a few steps out with the help of his tails keeping him balanced. Sonic was a natural, or maybe he was just very good at looking unfazed. He started walking out until he noticed something was missing.

“Shadow?” He turned back around, only to find him still standing on the snow. “Something up?”

“Everything is fine.”

“Come on! Don’t you want to skate?”

He hesitated. “I...don’t know how to do this.”

“What? Tails, you go on ahead.” Sonic hurried back over to the end of the lake. “You can’t skate, Shadow?”

He was blushing again. “Never learned.”

The blue hedgehog tried to reassure him with a grin. “It’s just like your shoes! I’m sure you’d be a natural!”

Shadow made a little noise. He very carefully lifted up a foot and placed the end of his skate just barely onto the ice. “Like that?”

“Yeah, there you go!” For as minor as it was, Sonic still wanted to be encouraging. “Hey! Would it help if I held your hand? Then I can help you balance!”

He nodded. Sonic took both of his hands and began backing out onto the ice slowly. Shadow closed his eyes once they had left the relative safety of the snowy ground. His legs trembled, trying to figure out how he needed to orient himself to stay balanced while moving.

Sonic gave Shadow’s hand a light squeeze. “You’re doing great! We’re almost there...almost...almost...and done! You can open your eyes now!”

After a moment of reluctance, Shadow opened his eyes, only to find himself at the middle of the lake. Sonic felt the grip on his hands tighten.

“I’ve got you, you’re not gonna fall.”

Shadow wasn’t sure if he believed him. But still, he let his grip loosen just slightly. “What now?”

“Now, we practice!” Sonic beamed, shifting his skates. “Okay, so let’s start with some of the basics…”


	8. Rex- Anji/Baiken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baiken wakes up in the middle of the night

Baiken awoke to the sound of creaking floorboards.

Her thoughts zipped around at the speed of light, shedding the haze of sleep to piece together where she was and how she got there, in case she needed to jump out of bed and stab whatever was nearby. She was accustomed to being a light sleeper over the years, protecting herself from danger, however she had to. A bit of restless, rocky sleep was an acceptable trade-off for ensuring that she wouldn’t be mauled in the middle of the night.

Another creak. She’d been out drinking after a very generous tip from the last bounty had left her with a bit more money than she was used to carrying. Baiken didn’t drink herself blind and stupid, that was probably the most reckless thing she could have done, but considering the mood she was in it probably involved more than her usual amount. There was a definite hangover on the horizon, and the way it mixed with the spike of adrenaline from her sudden awakening made her heart beat in her ears.

Creak. She cursed herself for not being more careful. Of course she’d kept her mouth shut on just how much she was carrying, but she’d had to take some of it out to pay the bartender. Someone probably had to have seen her doing it, and assumed she’d be a good target to pickpocket from.

Creak. Baiken felt her hand curling protectively around the sheathed blade nestled into bed with her, hidden under the blankets, ready to pull it out and pin it against someone’s throat. She should have just walked past the inn and found somewhere else to stay the night. A safe spot in the woods. Wherever she felt safe enough to actually be able to fall asleep. The alcohol was nice, but she could have poured it into her gourd and left. It wouldn’t have been her idea to stay the night, not if she was by herself, but-

Creak. 

She hadn’t been drinking alone.

Anji’s footsteps were careful and delicate, like a dancer’s should be. The old wood that made up the building amplified any steps taken on them, no matter how gentle. Anji himself seemed to find it as obnoxious as she did, based on the little irritated grumble that escaped his throat.

“Shit...huh?”

Baiken wasn’t sure what the last part was about, not at first. She stiffened slightly as something brushed against her, but a moment later, she felt soft fabric brushing against her as the blanket was pulled back up to her shoulders.

“Finally asleep, thank goodness…”

He sounded tired. How long had he been awake? And why? He wasn’t anywhere near the level of paranoid insomnia that she was, the number of times where she’d watch him sleeping in the middle of the night and wonder how he was able to do it so easily had become more than she could count.

Anji offered no answers. Baiken was a half-second away from bolting up and demanding an explanation when the floor creaked ever-so-slightly. It was accompanied by another warmth closer to her face. She felt a faint heat puffing against her cheek. Breathing? Why was Anji so close?

Lips pressed against her brow, light and faint and quick to the degree where she wasn’t sure if it had really happened. Just as quickly, the creaks trailed off to the other end of the room, finished off with the sound of bedsprings.

She wanted to jump out of bed and pummel his stupid ass into next month, but Baiken felt frozen in place.

“G’night, Baiken.”

Anji was dead. Anji was _so_ dead. Did he think he could pull that kind of shit out of nowhere?! Even if his lips were soft and warm, and the sense of tenderness was something that left an aching emptiness in her chest alongside an odd sense of contentedness...

The samurai let go of her blade, burrowing down into the covers.

...Maybe she’d kill him tomorrow, instead.


End file.
